Recently, I visited a diagnostic center in Addis Ababa. After undergoing an MRI scan, I was told the CD with the images would be ready in a minute, but the radiologist\u2019s reading would take 24 hours. As impatient as ever, I couldn\u2019t wait. I approached the technician and asked if she could at least tell me whether the result showed anything serious.<\/p>\n
Her answer was disarmingly honest: \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
That reply made my anxiety worse. She was, after all, closer to the images than anyone. I asked again, pleading. But she stood firm: \u201cI\u2019m not a specialist. Only the radiologist is.\u201d Her professional restraint left an impression on me\u2014an unshakable blend of discipline and dignity.<\/p>\n
I remembered a similar experience at an eye care center. After an initial screening, the attendant referred us to a specialist. The doctor ran a set of tests and quickly decided we needed to see a sub-specialist. When we pressed him with questions, he replied without hesitation: \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d He didn\u2019t attempt to speculate or play expert beyond his scope. It was clear, he believed, that knowing where one\u2019s expertise ends is itself a form of wisdom.<\/p>\n
These moments reminded me of a story I read as a child in an East African English textbook. A stranger wanders through a wealthy suburb, marveling at its homes, cars, and lavish surroundings. Every time he asks a passerby about the people or possessions, he hears the same word: \u201cAngazi.\u201d Unfamiliar with the local language, he assumes \u201cAngazi\u201d is the name of a powerful tycoon who owns everything.<\/p>\n
But the truth is far simpler.<\/p>\n
In the story\u2019s climax, the stranger stumbles upon a funeral procession with a gleaming, expensive coffin. Again, he asks who the deceased is. Again, the answer: \u201cAngazi.\u201d To the stranger, it seems the mysterious \u201cAngazi\u201d has even died with a grand send-off. \u201cAngazi\u201d means \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Miscommunication. Misperception. But also, perhaps, a deeper truth: we often fill gaps in our knowledge with assumptions.<\/p>\n
Ethiopian culture is deeply communal. Whether in mourning or celebration, we gather together. I cherish this. But in these spaces\u2014wedding halls, mourning houses\u2014one often hears unsolicited \u201cexpert\u201d opinions on everything from theology to macroeconomics. No topic is off-limits to self-appointed pundits. Complex matters that require years of training are discussed with absolute certainty, often by those with no relevant background.<\/p>\n
Yet even what we think we know can deceive us. In an age dominated by artificial intelligence, misinformation, and deepfake technology, the value of truth\u2014once journalism\u2019s bedrock\u2014is increasingly under siege. On this year\u2019s World Press Freedom Day, the risks posed by AI-generated falsehoods and surveillance were made plain. The ability to distinguish fact from confident fiction has never been more vital.<\/p>\n
Celeste Headlee, a veteran radio host, said in a TEDx talk: \u201cIf you don\u2019t know, say that you don\u2019t know.\u201d In her experience on NPR, professionals have learned to be more careful with their claims, understanding the responsibility that comes with going on the record.<\/p>\n
That phrase\u2014\u201cI don\u2019t know\u201d\u2014has become, in my view, a mark of intellectual integrity. The MRI technician and the ophthalmologist didn\u2019t pretend to know more than they did. Their humility was not weakness, but wisdom.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s an ancient tale of a spiritual teacher who once asked his followers to share their thoughts. After listening patiently, he praised one disciple above all others: \u201cYou are truly blessed, for you dared to say, \u2018I don\u2019t know.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Maybe it\u2019s time we embraced that spirit. Perhaps we need an \u201cAngazi Campaign\u201d in Ethiopia\u2014a cultural shift that encourages us to appreciate the strength in admitting uncertainty. I, for one, am trying to train myself to say \u201cI don\u2019t know\u201d more often. When will I master it?<\/p>\n
Angazi.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n
Ene alawqem.<\/em><\/p>\n Contributed by Selamawit Kidane\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Recently, I visited a diagnostic center in Addis Ababa. After undergoing an MRI scan, I was told the CD with the images would be ready in a minute, but the radiologist\u2019s reading would take 24 hours. As impatient as ever, I couldn\u2019t wait. I approached the technician and asked if she could at least tell […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"editor_plus_copied_stylings":"{}","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1932],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-45237","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-speak-your-mind"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45237"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45237\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}